Is It Worth Waiting?

Thread Starter

Okay, I'm probably not the only person who's made a thread like this, so I'm sorry for that, it's just I know nothing about smartphones or the speed at which new ones come out and improve and improve and improve, so I need to ask some people who are a bit more knowledgable.

This may sound a little shallow or whatever, but this is the only phone update I'll be able to afford before I'm about 18 or something, and then I'll have left school, so it has to last me, and it has to be a good one, because everyone else pulls out amazing looking phones all the time and I feel inferior .

If you won't have the money until November then why even bother with this question right now? 3 months is a life time in the technology world.

When you have the money, look at the market, look at the rumors, and see what works best for you. My only tip is that if you wait forever then you miss out on a lot of things, buy when you feel the time is right. If you need it to last then buy the latest technology out there. You don't say how old you are but if this needs to last you a long time the N1 might not be for you since it's already 8 months old and technology is slowly passing it by (it has a lot of life left right now, but come November is may not).

Thread Starter

Okay, cool, thankyou. So even if I could get them money by the end of the month, I shouldn't get the Nexus? I've been able to find lower prices for the HTC Desire (unfortunately on eBay). I just really wish Google were going to do a Nexus Two because I love the style of the phone and from all the videos I've watched, I like the stripped down version of Android (although you can apparently turn HTC Sense off). I'm 15 at the moment, so that's three years it's got to last me.

Okay, cool, thankyou. So even if I could get them money by the end of the month, I shouldn't get the Nexus? I've been able to find lower prices for the HTC Desire (unfortunately on eBay). I just really wish Google were going to do a Nexus Two because I love the style of the phone and from all the videos I've watched, I like the stripped down version of Android (although you can apparently turn HTC Sense off). I'm 15 at the moment, so that's three years it's got to last me.

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The N1 is an awesome phone, even with all the new phones out it is still a great phone, but if the phone has to last you 3 years then the N1 is not right for you. I would stick with your original plan of November, then I would check out the market and rumors and see what makes the most sense. If there is a 2ghz phone coming out later this year then you should see a lot more news pop up about it around November.

I, and almost everyone else in this sub forum, would love to see an N2. The stock android is one of the biggest attractions (we saw 2.2 first and will see 3.0 first). But you don't know what's around the corner. Come November phones might be running Gingerbread which is suppose to improve the stock UI and decrease the need for any custom UI's (such as sense). You seem very anxious about getting a phone, which is understandable, but in this case I think it will pay off for you to wait.

Okay, I'm probably not the only person who's made a thread like this, so I'm sorry for that, it's just I know nothing about smartphones or the speed at which new ones come out and improve and improve and improve, so I need to ask some people who are a bit more knowledgable.

This may sound a little shallow or whatever, but this is the only phone update I'll be able to afford before I'm about 18 or something, and then I'll have left school, so it has to last me, and it has to be a good one, because everyone else pulls out amazing looking phones all the time and I feel inferior .

So should I get a Nexus or wait ages to get something else?

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I would save your money.

As high school student, keeping an extra $500-800 in discretionary spending money is probably more valuable to you than throwing it all away into a smart phone. Its probably more affordable to just keep your current phone, and purchase other consumer electronics that give you the services that you hope to get out of the N1.

You're probably used to buying phones on contract so here's a way to get a new android phone "virtually free" from T-mobile without signing a two year agreement. I will be using the 500 minute + unlimited text + unlimited web plan with the "MyTouch 3G Slide" phone for the following example, though it'll work for nearly all the Plans available with T-mobile.

T-mobile offers the above plan in two forms: The "Even More Plus" plan and the similarly titled "Even More" Plan. The "Even More Plus" plan cost $60 per month with no contract. The only stipulation is that you pay the full retail price ($430) for the phone. The second option, the "Even More" Plan, costs $80 per month and offers a subsidized ($180) phone but requires a two year agreement. Since the "Even More Plus" plan is $20 cheaper per month, at the end of 24 months, you would have saved $480, which more than covers the cost of purchasing the phone at full retail value.
($20 x 24 months = $480 in savings - $430 phone = Free phone + $50 extra saved)

Now here's where it gets really interesting:
T-mobile offers an "Equipment Installment Plan" which allows you to pay off the cost of the phone over the course of 20 months. For the MyTouch 3G Slide that comes out to $21.50 per month ($430/20 months = $21.50). For 20 months you'll pay $81.50 ($60 plan + $21.50 EIP) but after that your phone is paid off and in the last 4 months you only pay for the $60 plan. After 24 months, your total costs for the "Even More Plus" plan with a MyTouch 3G Slide will be $1870, with the added bonus of not being under contract.

Compare that to the "Even More" contract plan which will cost you $80 per month for 24 months, plus an additional $180 for the subsidized phone. At the end of two years you would be spending $2100 and be locked into a contract.

Hopefully I have explained this well enough to show you that subsidized phones end up costing the consumer more money in the end, and takes away your freedom to change carriers by locking you into a contract.